What I really think about the writing space that Twitter affords is generally a social one. Twitter is a social networking sight, usually aimed at teenagers. But the question of whether tweets are in fact a form of writing is not up for debate. Tweets are absolutely writing, no matter how short it may be. In each update, one can write for a different purpose. If someone is having a bad day where nothing is going right, a sad tweet may be posted. It is for friends or family to view it, commenting to answer this cry for help. However, a tweet may not always be a bad call for attention. If something fantastic has happened, the good mood will take one straight to the computer. There is no such thing as privacy on the Internet, as the general public is beginning to realize.
While tweets are basically for the social aspect, who's to say that communicating with others through the computer isn't a form of writing? As a matter of fact, it definitely is. As long as there is a purpose in the piece of writing, whether it is a tweet or a paragraph, writing is. Writing paints a story in the mind, as tweets and Facebook status updates imply. If there is a happy go lucky status update, an outside reader can instantly feel that emotion and paint a picture of that happiness. Because of the different purposes writing has, if tweets are posted for a reason, that reason makes it a piece (short or long) of writing.
Morgan, thank you for writing this intelligent, thoughtful post. Have you ever thought about the limitations of Twitter? The reason I ask this because, you mention structure of twitter in your post. You might want to look into Megan A's blog about twitter to see a different perception. What I really admire about your writing here is pointing out how "writing paints a picture in the mind". It was a nice touch to your writing.
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